Embracing Ancestors & Remembering the Deceased
The New Orleans Healing Center is excited to host its Day of the Dead and Fet Gede celebration on Friday, November 1.
A traditional celebration and remembrance ceremony will take place in the Grand Hall from 5 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. A unique experience, happy hour will take place from 5 p.m. through 7 p.m., followed with a ceremony led by Sallie Ann Glassman and master drummers. At 10 p.m., there will be a procession for the dead, with prayers, chanting, and numerous traditions.
New Orleans based Voodoo society La Source Ancienne Ounfo will help to lead the ceremony and has annually celebrated the Day of the Dead for nearly 44 years.
About Day of the Dead
A soothing and meaningful tradition for many, Day of the Dead is a way for those to honor loved ones who have passed on, and to keep their memory alive. In Mexican tradition, the holiday is a day in which those who have passed on will come to visit those who are still alive and is often marked by elaborate displays, picnics set up around graves, and thousands of candles meant to illuminate the paths between the worlds so the dead can be guided back.
The Fet Gede, albeit different in many aspects, has some similarities to the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead, but is a festival for the Gede—a family of Haitian voodoo spirits—who are patrons of the dead. In Haitian tradition, the entire month of November is meant to honor the deceased. In their cultural practice, Death is seen as a comically grotesque figure whose colors are purple, black, and white and wears a top-hot or sunglasses. Considered the patron of Death and regeneration, Gede are often seen as cocky, crude, and embarrassing, yet also great healers for life and death situations.
The Day of the Dead and Fet Gede celebration is free and open to the public to mourn, celebrate, and honor those they love that have passed away. The New Orleans Healing Center and La Source Ancienne Ounfo ask that visitors wear white with purple or black headscarves and are invited to bring images of the deceased, alongside offerings such as cigars, sunglasses, skeletons, skulls, crosses, coffins, peppers, and more. In honor of the ancestors, the New Orleans Healing Center is delighted to host the Day of the Dead and Fet Gede celebrations to embrace our deceased loved one's love and their guidance.
